Are You Sure You're Okay?
by EloraCooper4
Summary: Collins wakes up from a dream to teach his class in a less than healthy condition.


Note: Hi all. I'm working on all of my chapter fics so no worries. I'll probably get at least one up today, at least I'm hoping. In the mean time, here's a fic I wrote for rent inspired. The prompt was sickness.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Collins whispered into Angel's ear. She was shivering again, gathering the blankets towards her chest. Beads of sweat rolled off her bare back and were wiped off by Collins' gentle hand. "Maybe we should go to the doctor, baby. Just to be sure."

Angel shook her head. Stubborn, Collins should have known. "I'm not going anywhere. This is where I need to be," She said rolling over to face her lover. The bags under her eyes betrayed her sleeping patterns for the past few days. She told Collins repeatedly that she fell asleep just as he did. But her body said otherwise. "I just need some sleep. Nothing to…" A fit of coughs erupted from her lungs.

Collins knew it then. It was the beginning of the end.

"Thomas…Thomas…." A voice echoed in Collins' head. Automatically, he brushed away the sound as if it was an insect that was buzzing around his head. "Thomas…your class. They're waiting outside of the room for you…" That made Collins snap his eyes open. It took him a few moments to realize where he was. Not at home in bed with Angel. No, he was in his office at NYU.

"Elaine?" He asked finally recognizing the voice as his co-worker. "Shit. I'm sorry. I just…haven't got much sleep lately." Collins slowly stood up and wiped his face roughly as if it would wipe off the lack of color in his face and the bags under his eyes. "Thanks. I'll umm…"

The blonde woman who was watching Collins with concern shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Thomas." She looked down at the ground for a moment and then dared to meet his eyes and say, "Maybe you should send your students home. You could catch up on your sleep."

Collins laughed while grabbing his books. "Well since I just caught some shut eye, I think I'll be just fine. Anyway, I'm teaching Kant today. I could do that bad ass in my sleep really. Don't you go worrying," He winked at her and slowly walked out of his office. When he breathed in the hallway's air conditioned air, he reminded himself where he was. His dreams, they were getting more and more vivid everyday, making him forget where and sometimes even who he was. Maybe Elaine was right, he needed some more sleep.

"Oy, Professor!" A dirty blonde punk waved to Collins as he stepped closer. Elaine was a right, all of his students were waiting outside patiently like the well behaved students that they were not. "We've been waiting for fifteen minutes. We were ready to bail."

Collins shrugged. "I wait for your late papers without taking off points."

"Yeah that's the truth. Sorry Professor," A girl dressed in pink giggled. She quickly walked inside of the classroom as soon as Collins opened the door.

"Go ahead you hooligans," Collins said waving his hand back and forth as if he was directing traffic.

A student with a necklace reading "Jill" paused in front of him. "Um…Professor. I was wondering if I could get some help with my paper." Collins was about to argue when the girl continued nervously, "I know you said that you wanted us to be responsible and all. Be individuals when it comes to…paper writing. But I can't find anything about…Professor?"

Collins' eyes wandered towards a form in the hallway. A young man in a red jacket and glittering jeans was carrying a pickle tub. When they met eyes, the younger man waved with an innocent smile. Angel.

"Professor?"

"Oh, Jill. I'm sorry. Of course I'll help. Or at least I'll give you pointers…see me after class," Collins said shooing her inside of the room. He looked down the hallway and frowned seeing that it was empty.

Collins strained his neck to find his lover, but he was no where to be found. "Maybe he sneaked inside." The professor brushed off Angel's visit, she would find him eventually. Collins had invited her to come to his classes time and time again, but she never came before. "She'll come back," He mumbled to himself as he walked into his classroom.

The air conditioning suddenly turned off. The heat was rising as Collins got closer and closer to the front of the room. By the time he reached the chalkboard, beads of sweat were soaking the back of his shirt. "Whew," He said sitting down hard into his chair. "Hot, huh?"

Only a few students looked up at their professor, and those who did had looks of confusion on their faces. In the back of the room, Collins spotted two figures. Angel and Mark sitting down right next to each other. An encouraging smile was on her face. Mark on the other hand looked very worried.

"Um ok. Everyone pull out your questions for tonight's readings…I know that some of you must have done your homework," Collins said chuckling quietly to himself. He braced himself to stand but found that his legs felt oddly weak. "I uhh…I'm gonna sit today if you don't mind. With the heat and all in here."

The girl in pink looked up into the air. "It's not hot professor…"

"Yeah it's not," The punk kid said zippering up his jacket. "You sure you're feeling ok?"

In the back of the room, Mark leaned forward and Angel continued to smile on proudly.

"Oh…I just need some sleep, so if I catch anyone sleeping in class," Collins pulled himself up from his chair in defiance of his body. The legs will hold me, he told himself with utmost confidence. "I'll hit you with Kant so beware," He picked up the Kant book and waved it around.

A few nervous giggles spread in the class as they started to open up their notebooks.

"Right then," Collins wiped his face with the back of his hand. His face was damp. "Jamie. I think it's your turn to start?" He took a few steps back so he could lean on his desk.

The punk kid cleared his throat and nodded, "Yeah. I just didn't understand the whole idea. That we're all just…" His voice seemed to fade in Collins' conscience.

The professor shook his head and called out, "Jaime, can you speak up?"

"Um sure," Jaime mumbled then starting over again with his question. But he never did get to finish.

The heat tightened around Collins' chest and he felt his heart shudder followed by his whole body. He dropped to the ground.

The students jumped up in fear while Angel and Mark ran towards him.

"Collins, baby, are you sure you're all right?" Angel asked him, flicking the strands of wig hair that were falling into her face. "I could…I could…" Angel smoothed down her skirt as if she had no idea what to do.

"I'm ok, Angel…I'm ok…" Collins muttered.

Mark fell to Collins' side with wide eyes. "Collins, it's me. It's Mark. We have to get you out of here. We have to go to the hospital…you've been sick for too long."

"I'm not going anywhere. This is where I need to be," He whispered holding onto his friend's hand when he was offered it. "Just…take Angel home."

"Angel?" Mark asked his face getting paler and paler every moment. "Collins, Angel isn't here."

Angel's form wiped away the tears from her eyes and took hold of Collins' other hand. "It's starting baby," She whispered.

"What do you mean?" Collins asked as a cough ripped through his lungs. "She's right here!"

"Collins…Angel's dead. For years now…she's dead," Mark reminded his friend with wide eyes. It was then that Mark knew it was the beginning of the end.


End file.
